Shade roller construction



y 1965 o. N. CRIDER 3,192,993,

SHADE ROLLER CONSTRUCTION Filed May 10, 1963 0r/71 M Crider INVENTORATTORNEY United States Patent r 3,192,993 SHADE RGLLER CONSTRUCTION OrinN. Crider, Chicago Heights, I1i., assignor to Slick Industrial Company,Chicago Heights, I1l., a corporation of Delaware 1 Filed May 10, 1963,Ser. No. 279,540 2 Claims. (Cl. 160-324) This invention relates tospring operated roller constructions for window shades, projectionscreens, and the like, and more particularly to a cover adapted to bemounted on one end of the roller to protect the operating mechanism ofthe latter from moisture, dirt, and other foreign matter.

Spring operated rollers increasingly arebeing utilized in out-of-doorsshade installations and for such articles as glass beaded projectionscreens and the like. In order for the spring operating mechanism tofunction properly, it is essential that the mechanism be protectedagainst the entry into the roller body of moisture, glass beads, dirt,

and other foreign matter which would tend to impair the operatingcharacteristics of the roller. in conventional spring operated rollerconstructions a spindle is rotatably mounted in the roller so as toproject beyond one end of the latter. The spindle usually has a springwound around that portion of the latter which is located within theroller, one end of the spring being anchored. to the spindle and theother end of the spring being anchored to the roller. Adjacent theprojecting end of the roller is a ratchet wheel and pawl mechanism.which is operable selectively to permit relative rotation of the rollerand the spindle or to prevent such relative rotation. The

ratchet wheel and pawl mechanism usually is recessed to some extentinwardly from the terminal end of the roller, ,but it nevertheless is atleast partially exposed, with the result that moisture and foreignmatter may gain access to the mechanism and impair its operation.

The spindle on which the power spring is mounted usually is supported ina wall-mounted bracket and the opposite' end of the roller ordinarily isprovided with a stub shaft or pintle that is supported in a somewhatsimilar bracket. At the winding mechanism end of the roller, the spindleis provided with an exposed thrust bearing which may engage the bracket.Both the bracket and the bearing conventionally are formed of metal andtheir engagement may result in excessive noise upon rotation of theroller. In such construction the exposed bearing, and possibly theratchet mechanism, are subject to being damaged by rough and carelesshandling.

An object of this invention is to provide an end cover or guard for ashade or the like roller for preventing the entry of moisture and otherforeign matter into the winding mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end cover of the kinddescribed which provides protection against damaging certain parts ofthe winding mechamsrn.

A further object of the invention is to provide an end cover for a shadeor similar roller which enables the operation of the roller to be lessnoisy than are conventional rollers.

A further object of the invention is to provide an end cover of thecharacter referred to which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple toinstall, and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed outspecifically or will become apparent from the 3,192,993 Patented July 6,1965 FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, partly elevational and partlysectional View of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view illustrating the end cap in place onthe roller; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view of. the end cap.

A shade or similar roller is designated generally by the referencecharacter 1 and comprises a cylindrical'body 2 formed of wood or othersuitable material and having a hollow cavity 3 adjacent one of its ends.

The cavity 3 is partially closed by an end wall 4 that is provided witha central opening through which projects a spindle 5. Surrounding thatportion of the spindle that is received within the cavity 3 is a spring6, one end of which isanchored to the end wall 4 and the other end ofwhich is anchored in a slot 7 formed at the inner end of the spindle.Fixed to the spindle is a thrust bearing 8 which engages the wall 4 insuch manner as to permit relative rotation of the spindle and therollerbody, but prevent movement of the spindle outwardly of the cavity.

A toothed ratchet wheel 9 also is fixed to the spindle 5 in a positionoutwardly of the Wall 4. Pivoted on the outer surface of the wall 4 is apair of pawls 10 which are .engageable with anddisengageable from theteeth of the toothed wheel 9 so as selectively to permit and preventrelative rotation of the spindle and the roller body 2. Outwardly of thetoothed wheel 9 and extending beyond the end of the roller is adisk-like, generally cup-shaped,

is supported. The spindle 5 terminates at its outer end in a supportedin the mounting bracket.

flattened spear portion 12 that is adapted releasably to be The terminalend of the roller body 2 is provided with an annular rim 13 formed ofmetal or the'like and which may be embedded or otherwise suitably fixedto the roller body. The rim 13 includes a centrally apertured end wall14 which partially overlies the pawls '10 to protect the latter.

The construction of the several parts of the roller assembly 1 describedthus far are conventional, and the details of the ratchet and pawlmechanism are more fully disclosed in copendingapplication Serial No.256,992, filed February 7, 1963.

An end cap or guard constructed in accordance with the invention isdesignated generally by the reference character 15 and comprises anannular mounting ring 16 of such size as to fit closely over the rim 13and be frictionally secured to the latter, The mounting'ring 16 is openat one side, but its other side is provided with an end wall 17 ofgenerally frusto-conical shape that tapers radially inwardly of the ring16. The wall 17 is provided with a centrally located opening 18 which isof such size following description when it is considered in. conjunc- 7,

tion with the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, partly elevational and partly sectional viewof a typical shade roller, equipped with an end cap constructed inaccordance with the invention;

erably is such as to conform substantially to the concavity of thebearing 11 so as to permit the wall portion 19 to nest with androtatably engage the bearing 11, as is most clearly shown in FIGURE 2. j

' The end cap 15 may be formed from any number of readily available,synthetic, resinous materials such as nylon, polyethylene,polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene,

and the like. The materials mentioned, and others of the same generalclass, are tough and durable, corrosion resistant, and have somecushioning and sound deadening 3 properties. However, it would bepossible to form the end cap 15 from metal such as aluminum.

When the end cap 15 is in place on the roller 1, it guards against entryof moisture and foreign matter into the ratchet mechanism, and into theroller past the bearings, and provides protection against damaging thebearing 11. In addition, the end cap 15 avoids engagement between thebearing 11 and the bracket in which the spear 12 is received and, if thewall 17 is formed of one of the plastic materials referred to above, itavoids metal-tonetal contact between the bracket and the bearing andaccordingly provides for quieter operation. It will be readilyunderstood that the fraction area contact of the ring part 16 with theroller 2 is greater than that of the wall 19 with the bearing cup 11 andthat the cap 15 revolves with the roller 2 relative to the bearing cup11 which is fixed to the spear 12 and is held stationary by the usualslotted supporting bracket.

End caps constructed in accordance with the invention may bemanufactured in a plurality of sizes so as to fit on any shade and thelike rollers currently in use. Accordingly, persons may equip theirpresent rollers with such end caps and obtain all of the advantages ofthe latter.

The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred formof the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather thandefinitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A shade or like roller construction comprising a roller member; aspindle rotatably mounted in said roller member and extending beyond oneend of the latter; a generally cup-shaped bearing member mounted on saidspindle adjacent said one. end of said roller member and extendingbeyond the latter; and an annular cover member mounted on said rollermember at said one end of the latter, said cover member having acentrally located opening through which said spindle rotatably passes,said opening being larger in size than the size of said spindle butsmaller in size than the size of said bearing member, and

.t the edges of said cover member adjacent said opening being shaped tonest with and being rotatably received in and engaged with saidcup-shaped bearing member.

2. A shade or like roller construction comprising a roller member; aspindle member rotatably mounted in said roller member and extendingbeyond one end of the latter; a substantially disk-shaped, outwardlyconcave bearing member mounted on said spindle member adjacent said oneend of said roller member; and a cover member mounted on and enclosingsaid one end of said roller member and said bearing member, said covermember having a peripheral wall and a substantially frusroconical endwall provided with a centrally located cylindrical opening larger insize than the size of said spindle member, but smaller in s ze than thesize of said bearing member, said opening rotatably receiving saidspindle member, and the edge of said wall adjacent said ningconstituting a hearing portion and being turned inwardly to rotatablynest within said bearing member in engagement therewith.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,355,458 10/20Fischer l--301 1,452,874 4/23 Hart -301 1,905,980 4/33 Burns 16030l2,024,142 12/35 Burns 160301 2,654,114 10/53 Graber et al 16-8762,863,164 12/58 Schesvold 16--87.4 2,985,907 5/61 Duncan l694 3,052,9139/62 Cameron 160-426 3,058,298 4/63 Metzgar 20-19 FOREIGN PATENTS30,266/30 l/32 Australia.

295,098 8/28 Great Britain.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Examiner.

1. A SHADE OR LIKE ROLLER CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A ROLLER MEMBER; ASPINDLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID ROLLER MEMBER AND EXTENDING BEYOND ONEEND OF THE LATTER; A GENERALLY CUP-SHAPED BEARING MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAIDSPINDLE ADJACENT SAID ONE END OF SAID ROLLER MEMBER AND EXTENDING BEYONDTHE LATTER; AND AN ANNULAR COVER MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID ROLLER MEMBER ATSAID ONE END OF THE LATTER, SAID COVER MEMBER HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATEDOPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID SPINDLE ROTATABLY PASSES, SAID OPENING BEINGLARGER IN SIZE THAN THE SIZE OF SAID SPINDLE BUT SMALLER IN SIZE THANTHE SIZE OF SAID BEARING MEMBER, AND THE EDGE OF SAID COVER MEMBERADJACENT SAID OPENING BEING SHAPED TO NEST WITH AND BEING ROTATABLYRECEIVED IN AND ENGAGED WITH SAID CUP-SHAPED BEARING MEMBER.